This week we are photographing and reviewing the Federal Cigar 93rd Anniversary Reserve No. 2 – the latest exclusive 6 x 52 box-pressed torpedo for the Federal Cigar (*New Hampshire-based chain owned by Rick Gadway). This year’s commemorative cigar comes from well respected Oliva Cigar Company and has mysterious ties to Oliva Master Blends 1 and Oliva Master Blends 2. In addition, the Federal Cigar 93rd Anniversary Reserve No. 2 has been sitting on the shelf as a potential project for the past ~10 years. It will be available for purchase on March 15th, 2014 at the Federal Cigar’s 93rd Anniversary Party.

With the looming 93rd Anniversary of Federal Cigar in New Hampshire, let’s take a look at this year’s commemorative cigar. First off, when I heard that this year’s cigar was going to be a “found” stick from the Oliva aging vault, my ears perked up. I mean, come on, an Oliva from the early Master Blends years? 10-11 years of sleep? Sign me up. Let’s begin. The most distinct aspect of this cigar is its look. A gorgeous, sandy brown sun grown wrapper with very minimal veins. The slight press is very attractive as well. An obvious difference, this year, is that they labeled it with a custom Federal Cigar band, which is very well done.

A ¼ inch cut gives way to a perfect draw for my liking. Just a slight tug. The cold draw is very mild with subtle barnyard notes. The light up is toasty and slightly creamy. A nice punchy spice on the retrohale. Half an inch in, there isn’t any change on what comes across the palate. Still very toasty and slightly creamy. The retrohale is where all the action is so far. The spice has stepped back just a little, but still has a little punch to it. It’s been backed up by a nice cedar bouquet. The finish has the softest touch of mocha to it and a faint clove spice. So far the burn is razor sharp and the ash is fairly even, pale gray with just a few dark spots. Passed the first inch, the upfront flavors are starting to pick up some steam. The toasty notes have shifted slightly to a breadier flavor. That clove spice from the finish has pushed its way more toward the front. The mouth feel has a very fine, silky grit to it; the kind that makes you want to keep sliding your tongue across the roof of your mouth. I am a cedar junkie and this cigar is delivering right now. The retrohale spice has toned way down and the cedar has come way up and has developed a slightly honeyed sweetness. This, combined with the bready and creamy characters, are really making a harmonious combination. After the halfway mark, black pepper is picking up across the palate and stays fairly distinct through the finish. It’s an interesting addition to the other flavors that have been coming through, which have stayed consistent at this point. Thus far, the cigar has been fairly firm to the touch. Now that I am coming into the finale the temperature is starting to rise a bit and the cigar has softened just a little. Not objectionable at this point. However, as the cigar has progressed, the spice has shot up and has a little bite to it. Again, not objectionable for me, but I could see many people ending the smoke at this point.

To close I will say that this cigar was very good. It was solid medium strength and full flavored throughout. I would suspect that in its early days, this cigar had some pretty good kick to it. Subtle hints of that still remain, but 10-11 years of age have tamed it down. It’s an aesthetically beautiful cigar from head to toe. Construction, draw, and burn were all near perfect. I prime example of the quality that Oliva has been, and is still able, to deliver. Until next time, happy smoking.

This week we are photographing and reviewing the Oliva Serie V Melanio Maduro – the latest project from the Oliva Cigar Company and a follow-up to well received Oliva Serie V Melanio (ecuadorian sumatra wrapper).

For starters, this cigar is aesthetically gorgeous. A smooth, dark chocolate wrapper with minimal veins and a beautiful box press. A sniff of the foot gives off a rich, sweet tobacco aroma. I used an angle cut, taking off about a 1/3 of an inch. Too snug. Took off about another 1/8 of an inch. We’ll see how it works out. Putting the cigar in my mouth to take a cold draw was instantly like chocolate hitting my lips. Very mild flavor on the cold draw, but a sweet richness is definitely there. Let’s put some fire to this stick.

Right away I’m hit with a boldness that I was not expecting. I can already tell that this is vastly different from its regular Melanio counterpart. A very smooth, but slightly gritty, feeling coats my palate. A powerful spice comes through on the retrohale. The aftertaste, crazy as it might sound, reminds me of Andes mint chocolates. Now don’t go taking this seriously. I don’t mean it literally tastes like chocolate mint. Just a subtle, rich, cocoa undertone with a slight effervescence to it. This combination makes me reminiscent of the holidays at my parent’s house as a kid eating handfuls of those candies. About 3/4 of an inch in, a slightly woody note comes through. I can’t quite pinpoint it. Sometimes it tastes like cedar and sometimes like oak. Both are enjoyable. At the inch mark, the burn has gone slightly crooked but has been almost razor straight up until now. Nothing to cry about. (side note: The draw has been perfect for me. Just enough tug for my liking.) That woody note I mentioned has gone full blown cedar, which I love. And the richness has gone the route of a slight mocha flavor. The retrohale spice is still present, but very toned down.

At the 1/3 mark, a strong, roasted coffee bean note has popped up with just a touch of cream in the aftertaste. Pretty consistent coming to the halfway mark. But now, a very slow and steady retrohale gives off a subtle, sweet clove spice. Into the final 1/3, the upfront flavor has turned to a dark, bitter espresso with a spice that tingles the tip of my tongue. The smoke has gotten very chewy and that prominent richness has taken a backseat in the aftertaste. This is pretty consistent through the finish with the exception of a smokey, toasty characteristic.

Final thoughts: I was very pleased, overall, with this cigar. Much more so than when I first smoked the original Melanio, which had to grow on me. I think the finish could benefit from a little age, but I’d certainly recommend this cigar. Happy smoking my friends.

This week, the CigarPhoto is displaying, not reviewing, the latest offering from Rick Gadway’s Federal Cigar – Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 – REDUX ‘Hassell.’ If you are familiar with the original Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 Reserva, please be aware that the latest REDUX ‘Hassell’ release is not a continuation of the original Reserva batch but instead, and I quote “… this is fresh new product made with broadleaf and with Hassell band on it – Pete Johnson …“

It is my understanding that the Tatuaje Federal Cigar 90th Anniversary 109 – REDUX ‘Hassell’ will be available for purchase at the Federal Cigar Plaistow location on March 16th, 2013 (in-person only) and on March 18th, 2013 (call). Hassell boxes and bundles are priced at $250 each.

Prelight: As my eyes move from the ragged closed foot, they are drawn to the subtle color variations in the veining on the light brown Colorado wrapper. There are few prominent veins and the creasing is accentuated by reddish hues giving it a mottled and weather-beaten appearance. The wrapper is smooth to the touch, has very little oils, and a very fine tooth right up to the gorgeous triple cap. To sum up the overall appearance: crude rustic elegance. It’s definitely a “Monster.” The prelight aroma is rather unassuming and muted: mild cedar, straight tobacco, and light barnyard. The cold draw is in keeping with the prelight aroma: mild cedar, some raisin notes, sweet tobacco and light hay. Nothing screams bold or adventurous.

Draw: Comfortable and effortless. Balanced to the length of the cigar perfectly.

Flavors: Initial spice, but not the classic Pepin black pepper. It’s a woody spice up front with cedar predominating. There are distinct cinnamon and nutmeg notes balanced by leather and earth. The pepper(black/cayenne) comes on the retro, and it’s BIG! As I settled into the first third there is a core of cinnamon and cedar. Initially, the smoke is drying on the palate, but as the cigar starts to transition a wonderful sweetness emerges and softens the sharp woody edges. It’s not a dense, thick molasses sweetness. It’s a bit nebulous at first. It’s there, but I can’t put my finger on it. It’s light and engaging. I’m hoping it continues to develop. The smoke becomes creamy and mellows on the palate. As I get into the second third the strength is consistent. On my palate it’s a medium minus. Flavors that continue to dominate are mild cedar and cinnamon and then that sweetness begins to take on a more defined role heading into the latter portion of the second third. I know what it is now. It’s fantastic. It’s graham cracker! As it transitions into the final third there are some fleeting herbal, grassy, and minty notes, but the cinnamon, cedar, and graham cracker are still center stage all the way to the nub.

Burn: Excellent. Two touch ups. The ash was a flaky salt and pepper and split in funky directions. The burn rate and temperature was spot on. Smoke production was good. Total smoke time was 2 hours.

Construction: Excellent.

Descriptive adjectives: Rustic Elegance, “Cinn-a-Monster”

Box worthy: Yes

Overall: Pleasantly surprised. Of the mini-monsters, the Mum was my least favorite. I was so underwhelmed, after my experience with it’s little brother, that I did a box split for the full size Mummy this year. That was a mistake!

This week we are photographing and reviewing the Oliva Master Blends 2 by Oliva Cigar Company. As the name implies, this is a sequel to an extremely successful Oliva Master Blends 1 release which we have summarized about 10 months ago. Oliva Master Blends 2, made in Tabacalera Oliva de Nicaragua S.A., hit the market in 2005 in the following vitolas: robusto, torpedo, churchill. Production run – 120,000 cigars total. Oliva Cigar Company deviated from nicaraguan puro blend and switched the wrapper in the Oliva Master Blends 2 to Ecuadorian Sun Grown Sumatra.

Visually, Oliva Master Blends 2 robusto looked appealing. I continue to appreciate the semi-box pressed finish. Although there were some visible veins and not so tight seams, the cigar had a well applied cap and was tightly packed – no soft spots. Similarly to the predecessor, Oliva Master Blends 2 had the famous laser-etched logo imprinted right below the band. Unfortunately that unique identifier went away with the Oliva Master Blends 3 release. The laser-etched logo and visible veins looked relatively alike and formed a spider-like appearance around the wrapper. Neat ! Draw was perfect before and after the cigar was lit. In flavor department, not overly complex cigar but good solid hints of roasted nuts, dried fruit, and a touch of spiciness. Good draw produced copious amount of smoke which subsequently coated and dried the palate. The burn started off with a bit of waviness but finished on a ‘straight note.’ The ash was pretty firm and fell in 3/4″ chunks.

Oliva Master Blends 2 robusto was an enjoyable experience. Folks will agree that generally, sequels are never as successful as the original. Well, perhaps Godfather 2 might be one of those exceptions. Oliva Master Blends 2 was good but not as good as Oliva Master Blends 1 but then not a lot of cigars, in my personal opinion, are in the Oliva Master Blends 1 category. My taste buds preference order: Oliva Master Blends 1, 2, 3, as released. I hope that Oliva Master Blends 4 will break that chain. As of today, no updates on Oliva Master Blends 4 except – “in development.”